Is yoga religion? It depends on the person.

But does prayer serve any other useful purpose? Prayer does not improve our ability to think, calculate, write, or engage with others socially. It does not improve our cardiovascular system. It has no purpose other than to tie one closer to God, and in my case it fails to do even that. It is someone else’s religious practice – which is why the First Amendment prohibits government sponsorship of it. Yoga exercises, on the other hand, may be religious practice for some people; but, they also have the effect of stretching the muscles, improving strength and flexibility, and inducing relaxation. As with breathing, there are reasons why someone who did not consider them religious might wish to engage in them anyway. It is therefore not clear that the First Amendment would prohibit yoga exercises in public schools, provided they are presented as exercises.

Thompson, Ph.D., teaches classes in philosophy at Palomar College. He has taught World Religions at Southwestern College. A resident of Vista, he attends the Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.